How to Increase Iron Intake

Without enough iron, your body is unable to produce oxygen-carrying proteins that flow through the blood. The food we eat contains two different types of iron. Hemo iron is easily absorbed and found in red meat, fish and poultry. Non-hemo iron, not so easily absorbed, is found in grains, vegetables, beans, nuts and eggs.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Eat lean red meat and liver, which are rich in easily absorbed iron. 3oz of beef has 3mg of iron and beef liver has 25mg. You can also have 3oz of dark turkey meat, pork or lamb to get 2.3 to 2.6mg of iron.

2. Eat iron-rich cereal. Check the label's daily values for the iron level in hot and cold cereals. Most cereals are fortified with iron. Some have up to 18mg of iron per serving.

3. Eat clams or oysters to increase your iron intake. A ¾ cup contains 3mg of easily absorbed iron.

4. Eat vegetables that are high in iron. A medium-baked potato with the skin on contains 4mg of iron, spinach has 9mg per bunch and chick peas have 12.5mg per cup.

5. Eat beans to increase your iron intake. Kidney beans have 15mg per cup, lima beans have 13mg and soy has 9mg.

6. Eat watermelon to increase iron by 3mg for every 6 inch by ½ inch slice.

7. Use blackstrap molasses. You can use it in baking, or add a tablespoon of it to a smoothie, tea or warm milk to give yourself an extra 3mg of iron.

Tips & Warnings

• Eat foods rich in Vitamin C and calcium, both of which enhance absorption of iron in the body.
• If you eat red meat with your vegetables, you can increase absorbtion of non-hemo iron by up to 400 percent.
• The Recommended Daily Allowance of iron for men over 18 years of age is 8mg. For women, it is 18mg until the age of 51 when it drops down to 8. If you are a vegetarian, those numbers are 14mg for men and 33mg for women, because iron from vegetables is not as easily absorbed as iron from meat.
• Iron deficiency can lead to anemia. If you are deficient, you may feel unusually tired or lethargic, have poor stamina and get frequent infections. Vegetarians should be extra careful about becoming iron deficient.
• Typically, there is no danger in overdosing on iron. However, it is possible to have too much iron or have a rare inherited genetic defect that affects the ability of the body to absorb iron and thus cause extra iron to be stored in the organs; this can lead to serious health problems including liver disease. In addition, small children can become poisoned by swallowing too many iron tablets.
• Don't drink tea with iron rich foods. The tannin in tea could inhibit absorption of iron in the body by up to 70 percent. Coffee has the same effect, reducing your absorption of iron by up to 40 percent.
• Visit your doctor for a nutritional assessment to determine your body's iron levels.

Resources

• Food and nutrition articles

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